Grange Hermitage 2015 Penfolds

BWW2020: After 3 million votes - The most voted wine is Penfolds Grange 2015

The voting for the BWW2020 - Best Wine of the World competition is over - a staggering, just over 3 million votes, were cast in the BWW 2020 competition and Grange 2015 was the most voted wines from all the 20.675 voted wines!

Tastingbook congratulates all those who received the most votes - a serious opinion and recognition expressed through the votes of just o...

Latest Pro-tasting notes

28 tasting notes

98p by Heinrich Köhler
99p by Ken Bratt / Wine Dealer
98p by Niel Groenewald
98p by Ron Li Leung
97p by Tuula Hällström
98p by John O'Mahony
99p by Victoria Morris
99p by Valtteri Malmivirta

Tasting note

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Written Notes

2015 Grange ($900) - Australia's most famous wine. 2015 was a good vintage,
but perhaps not a stellar one. That doesn't always mean that Grange will
reflect that - consider how good 2013 was. 98% Shiraz, 2% Cabernet from the
Barossa, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Magill Estate. 20 months in new
American hogsheads, as is traditional.

Opaque red. Immediate notes of Madagascan vanilla pods, fine dark chocolate,
splintery oak (undoubtedly well integrated, it is young and one can
reasonably expect that to slowly dissipate over time), blueberry pie, a hint
of axle grease, coffee beans, blackfruits, a hint of cold tea, cherries. It
is complex, with fabulous aromas, seamless and supple, finely balanced and
very, very long. A cracking Grange.

That said, and while it surely has a glorious future awaiting (another look
recently at the wine from magnum confirms this), it is perhaps the 'least
ready to drink on release' of recent Granges. Nothing wrong with that. A
very fine addition to the line-up. 98.

- Ken Gargett

Bang. The first whiff cries Grange. A lifted, fragrant, harmonious blend of fruit, oak (American, of course) and finely pitched tannins. Faultless. It's all relative, but this is starting to relax its grip. And the length is very, very special.

- James Halliday / BWW2024 Finalist

Lustrous and perfumed, with an arrestingly pure and heady bouquet of translucently clear dark plums, blackberries, cassis and dark cherries overlying notes of dark chocolates, bouquet of garni, roasting meats and cedar. It’s both sumptuous and stylish; an artfully modern shiraz whose explosively flavoured, sour-edged fruit suggests the meaty, five spice and deeply layered qualities of old Puer tea. Extending with exceptional drive and shape over a firmish spine of fine, crunchy tannins, it’s artfully balanced, wrapped in a lively acidity and set for the long haul. Reminiscent of the exceptional Granges from 1991 and 1994.

19.2/20, 97/100, drink 2045-2045+

- Jeremy Oliver / BWW2024 Finalist

98% Shiraz, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Magill Estate. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.62. 20 months in new American oak hogsheads. Across South Australia’s premium growing regions, winter and early spring rainfall were close to the long-term average. From August, conditions became significantly drier with only a few light spring showers recorded. Record low rainfall was recorded from September to March, stretching water supplies. Warm and dry conditions encouraged early flowering and fruit-set, with rapid canopy growth. Early summer temperatures dropped below average with no major heat waves recorded. Once harvest commenced, it progressed rapidly with most blocks of Shiraz picked earlier than previous years. Although the prevailing conditions resulted in lower than anticipated yields, the quality of fruit was exceptional.
Very deep, blackish purplish crimson. Heady black fruits on the nose. Lots of sweetness on the nose – quite a different animal from the other wines in this Collection. More like Ye Olde Australia. Now heading for vintage rather than Grange recipe. This is rich and medicinal. Chewy end. Dry finish but almost overwhelmed by the sheer volume beforehand.

14.5%

- Jancis Robinson MW / BWW2024/Best Wine Critic of the World

95.5p

Deep ruby. Rich, deep, nuanced, dark fruity, blueberries and blackberries in layers with liquorice, some pepper, eucalyptus notes behind, almost floral on top. Precise. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, anise, dark fruits, spices, liquorice, intense, layered and detailed, focused and bright yet dense and rich, superbly complex and stunning length. 99

- Christer Byklum/ BWW2024 Finalist

Deep crimson. Intense blackberry, mulberry aromas with meaty roasted chestnut, vanilla malt notes. Classic Grange with inky blackberry mulberry fruits, dense chocolaty tannins, roasted chestnut, vanilla mocha oak complexity, a touch of crème brulée, superb mid palate richness, velvety tannins building to a firm chocolaty plume at the finish. All the elements are perfectly aligned. A Classic Great Grange with superb colour, density and tannin quality. A wonderful wine of huge presence and palate impact. Should outlive us all. A collector’s vintage.

- Andrew Caillard MW / BWW2024 Finalist